(Let me preface all of this by saying…”Do not try this at home”…graffiti on architectural walls could result in a not so great result with certain law enforcement authorities.)

Ok, that out of the way…I became motivated and inspired during my many months in St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. I did a lot of walking, and captured some pretty riveting artwork. Not only do I love to create and design interiors (notably my blank canvas), but how I learned to instantly appreciate the other creative artists around me that decided their blank canvas was for the rest of the world to see.

If you could paint the world and send a message what would it be? Would you speak of truth? Love? Adversity? Power? Humor? Dig deep, carry a can of paint, look around (is anyone watching?) and create.

Do you ever pay attention to light, it’s source and the brilliant shadows cast about?

Light often defines form. Form often defines inspiration.

I have so many obsessions…one of them, I prefer (more like strongly insist) on low levels of lighting in the home. Most of my friends find this to be a very vampiric obsession of mine. Strong levels of light directly intensify my stress level…oddly enough, and more often than not, I am the one in the restaurant quietly requesting the waiter to please dim the lights (ahhhhhhhh). At any level of light, forms, shadows and shapes emerge at all angles. This is the true inspiration. It’s a beautiful cycle…

Inspiration comes from looking on the other side of the light. The shadows and blasts of light can create entire new dimensional forms. Before you squint and quickly reach to shut the blinds…stop for a moment to take in the art show in your own home. The shadows give way to light as objects stretch and lean…a playful dance of harmony mixed with juxtaposition. Take it all in…to inspire and be inspired, for you are witnessing forms, colors, textures and rays that may never be revealed again.

How is it, that when you spend years preaching to hold onto only the possessions that you love and that evoke an emotion or memory…does one end up with so much stuff???? (maybe the boxes were too small and piled up too fast!?) Let’s face it. We all have to own the usual detail items of life…office supplies, dishes, dog toys, kid toys…they all fill boxes fast…but let’s admit. Moving provides ONE great benefit…the necessary process of picking up every single item that you own and making a decision…do I keep this?…do I throw this away?…do I really need this?…does this really mean something to me?

How empowering! To purge! That is the best part of moving. Taking a strong look at your interior sanction. Making sure that every item, every detail speaks to you. A memory from travels, a gift from your child. LOVE everything you own. Build a nest that represents you. Who you are. Where you have been. This is your life! Make it a legacy…now, back to unpacking! Long live the movers!

Organic modern design. Using the elements. Elements of nature. Sand, water, animal, texture and color.

Your interior should evoke peace. With peace comes sanction. Like the buffered sound of being under water, where silence is misconstrued with deafening sounds on a different wave length.

There is beauty in the realms of nature and bringing those inside the construct walls of mankind bring us back to our animal instincts. Bring us back to peace. The ebb and flow of the tide, the undulating swim of the dolphin. The brisk air on a crisp morning as you inhale the ocean spray air. It can be found in art, in human activity, in color and in light. Bring in the elements. Explore.

Roll out the red carpet people! The MC Collection has debuted and hit the catwalk with a splash!

Molly’s organics…that’s the way I like to think about them. It has been a long time coming. It all started years ago when I had a retail design studio and my love of science, nature and all things animal found it’s way in to the scene. I would buy skulls and horns (okay, maybe a little weird you might think)…so envious of their innate and simple beauty. A perfect compliment to an interior space. It was an easy task to have simple black stands made for them and that’s where the idea stayed…until a few months ago. An inspiration of whale ribs splashed in to my path…whale ribs on a simple black stand.

What if I were to create a collection, I thought. What if I stepped it up several notches, I thought. What if I enlisted the help of another artist in the form of a craftsman, I thought. What if I enhanced the beautiful detail of the organics, I thought. What if?

In the name of animal instinct…prototypes were birthed in the form of hand forged steel, copper rivets and copper wire with the raw organic as the heart. Let this post document the hands on…as in my Manifesto…I believe in fulfilling my animal instincts.

I can remember seasons feeling like eternities when I was a kid…summers at the pool and beach felt like long years where so much growth and change would occur. I’d leave school liking only chocolate milk and writing in wide lined notepads to coming back tanned and worldly…drinking lemonade and using only college ruled notepads.

Change…to make or become different. Transition…the process or period of changing from one condition or state to another. So then one would make a decision to change, or maybe change would just happen, and then a transition follows to allow acceptance and growth. How does this apply to interiors you ask? In all actuality…this applies to every facet of life.

Lets consider the opportunity and ability to take in your current interior surroundings or even your exterior shell. What if you were to decide to make a change with an end goal of a more suitable peaceful place or a modernized exterior layer. Like time lapsed photography, could you envision the implementation of change…the transition of adaptation…which is followed by growth and acceptance…to a completion of an improved interior or exterior environment?

Simply put, change embodies growth and improvement, even if the change is unwanted or difficult. Change occurs in nature every second of the day. I reminisce of biology class. The stages of a butterfly. What a magnificent change and transition! From one state to another. The beauty and order of this natural phenomenon makes you realize that change is inevitable, unstoppable and essential.

Hmmmm…sitting here I just decided I’m going to make changes today. I’m going to add a little extra cream to my coffee (doing this now…need more java!), I’m going to reorganize some drawers, I’m going to walk my dog a little further, I’m going to smile to everyone that comes into my life today and I’m going to work harder next week…let’s see how the transition goes!

I sat in the makeup chair…(this is WAY too much makeup I thought)…my next thought…I’m up next. The photographer was ready. Lights flash, I shift…smile there….smile over there…no smile here. Five minutes later, after over an hour of makeup and hair…I was done! It’s a wrap!

Our local Jacksonville Magazine (jacksonvillemag.com) features the beautiful women of the River City…and there I am! Thank you Jax Mag and staff!! I am honored to be a part of the spread…(and all the makeup was worth it! Beautiful!)!

So…I started to conjure up all things beautiful…and I just couldn’t stop…beautiful animals, food, landscapes…eyeballs and dust! I created my own gallery of all things beautiful…let me share! Enjoy!

beau·ti·ful

adjective

1.

pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.

Beauty…is in the eye of the beholder…surprisingly, all things are beautiful, it’s all in the angle of the shot.

Our long awaited mid-century finds from San Francisco have graced their presence at last and are resting peacefully on our ocean front balcony.

Even though the chairs are magnificent…there’s just something else lacking… yes, that sort of lackluster feel of high rise living. Oh…high rise living…owning a wheely cart to transport various items from your vehicle to your loft in the sky, being five minutes late perpetually because you forgot your sunglasses and had to ride back up the elevator and back down twice, bundling up to walk the dogs at 6:00 AM versus just opening a door, having to actually get dressed to take the garbage down the hall to the trash chute, not being able to chew on a fabulous char grilled filet mignon steak cooked over burning hot coals and sadly not getting to sit down in these ultra cool old-school modern mid-century chairs at night while enjoying a blazing romantic fire from a fire pit. Of course…nothing beats this view, high rise and all!

Not to fret you high rise dwellers across the land! There are options to explore…you can take off that extra pair of socks and warm those toes by the fire!

So the quest began…for modern fire!

Not only did we want fire, we wanted something that was pleasing to look at all day long…not just lit at night. Right out of the gate, I found the coolest (and I mean coolest) condo-friendly fire…this was too easy! I was all ready to order and put it to use right away! Its the Globe by Vauni of Sweden…perfectly hip, modern, cool and functional.

Credit card in hand, I was ready to add this beauty to my cart! But sadly, my quest for fire had to continue…Vauni doesn’t ship to the States yet (bummer!!!).

I found a great option on the Thos. Baker site. Clean, clear glass, small and portable and also a bioethanol fuel burner.

What a great option to outdoor condo living! Except maybe with two dog noses and a set of little hands…hot glass…hmmm…keep looking.

I found some incredibly great options on allmodern.com…like the Stix Fire Column (how cool!)…

But found very little info about the product. I decided my quest for fire may have to go on the back burner. For now I think we will just enjoy our new chairs and the ocean view…after all…I guess I should check with the condo association…open flames, ten story building…they might just not approve…ya, didn’t think about that!

Yes, I love white. All kinds of white…gray white, yellow white, blue white, white white and so on…all fifty shades! Well, actually, there are endless shades of white. And it is my favorite color to paint on walls and ceilings…white, white and more white! I might scare clients a bit, because I almost always suggest white in an interior. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no issues with color…blue bathrooms (well, maybe), red dining rooms (ummm…sometimes) and maybe even the yellow living room (nooo!). I do like color…in the right places. But I tend to view walls (and ceilings) as blank canvases to juxtapose everything else in the room…stunning furniture, eclectic accessories and brilliant artwork.

So I typed in the question “how many shades of white are there” into my Google machine and here came my answer...There is only one true shade of white in existence. It is so bright that it is almost invisible to our eyes. However, just as many shades of slight imperfect whites exist as shades of any other color. There you have it! But the question is, how do you pick the right shade of white for your space? Stark white can be very displeasing to the eye if you do not have strong elemental distractions…like colorful artwork or large scale furniture. In reality, soft toned whites are more pleasing in the home environment.

The answer is simple. Is your floor beige in color? Pick a white that has a tint of brown. Is your furniture gray in color? Pick a white that has a tint of gray. Do you want that sunny, bright feeling in your kitchen? Pick a white that has a tint of yellow. But be careful…mixing whites often does not work and needs to always be considered. White linen curtains could look dull next to a bright white wall. After all, there are peachy whites, blueish whites, rosy whites and creamy whites and oftentimes these types of whites tend to pick up the colors that surround them.

Always consider the space you are planning and the mood you want to create. Treat whites just as you would color. Tranquility means a blue white. Cheerful is a yellow white. Inviting is a warm white and skin flattery are your peach whites.

And did you know…The appearance of white in a dream is thought to represent happiness at home. White castles are a symbol of achievement, destiny perfectly fulfilled, and spiritual perfection.

A July trip to CA was a mixture of business + pleasure for me and my bf. Our first stop was San Francisco, California where our first stay was The Hotel Clift. As I’m sure almost everyone that visits this hotel lobby has a picture the same as mine…but I couldn’t resist. My bf captured the perfect shot. The Hotel Clift was designed by legendary Philippe Stark! I was in heaven!

Also in the lobby were these organic and inspiring metal sculptured chair and poof! And surprisingly comfy!

Our next stay was at the ultra-farm-home-stay, The Carneros Inn, Sonoma, California. Equipped with outdoor shower/tub, a private deck and heater. I got lucky and got super close to our neighbors…the cows! Sonoma and Napa were filled with organic, natural art. Check out the artwork at The Eldorado Hotel…all sticks…and the barrel collage made from old wine barrels at Long Meadow Ranch.

After visiting the vineyards of Napa, California, my bf and I headed to Carmel, California. A quick visit with a client (and boy did we have a blast…go straight, look left!), and we were off to Sausalito, California. Our last stop before our flight was back in San Fran at Mid Century Mobler…a furniture land of mid century pieces that have made it through the test of time. We purchased an amazing set of chairs for our beachfront balcony, and drooled over the original Hans Wegner console!

All-in-all the trip was an inspiration. From the modern beach front condo, to the bustling city of San Fran, the farm home Sonoma, the quaint french bistro in Carmel, to Mid Century heaven…and back again in 7 days!